Joseph Gruny - Clara's Father

Compiled by Jim Oehler (jimoehler3 at gmail.com)

Clara Gruny Hirt was the daughter of Joseph Gruny (1870-1915) and Maria Weigel Gruny (1875-1965). Let’s take a closer look at what we currently know about Joseph’s life.

When Joseph Gruny was born on May 29, 1870, in Inzlingen, Germany, his father, Adolf, was 28 and his mother, Clara, was 25. He was baptized in the same Catholic Church that many generations of Gruny’s and other relations were baptized in.

An aerial view of Inzlingen, Germany today.  Provided by Wikipedia (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_View_-_Inzlingen1.jpg)

According to the 1900 and 1910 Federal censuses, he immigrated to the United States in 1899 at the age of 28 along with his mother and his uncle Johann (referred to as John in the censuses). The censuses make no mention of his father. He presumably passed away prior to their immigration or did not go with them. I currently have not record of Adolf other than his birth.  Eventually Joseph, Clara, and Johann made their way to Medford, WI where Joseph purchased 80 acres of land approximately 3 miles west of Medford, off of current State Hwy 64. There they established a farm.

Gruny entry on 1900 U.S. Federal Census from Ancestry.com.
Dates are birth dates of individuals followed by their age at time of census.

When they arrived, they likely did not find farmland ready to plow. At the turn of the 20^th century, north-central Wisconsin was on the downward slide of the lumber boom. Most of the land was cut over with stumps protruding from the ground and perhaps some new young forest growth (Jensen 2006). It would have taken considerable work to get the land ready to be tilled. But the land was cheap and taxes were low compared to their homeland, which was just what numerous poor immigrants from Germany, perhaps including Joseph and his family, were looking for when they came to America.

1913 plat map of Medford, WI showing 80-acre Gruny farmstead approximately 3 miles west of Medford.
Provided by Ancestry.com

Current condition of original Gruny farmstead.  Image taken September 2012.  Provided by Google Earth.  

CLICK HERE TO VIEW GRUNY HOMESTEAD IN GOOLE MAPS.

Pictures of what the Joseph Gruny farmstead looks like in 2014. 
Pictures taken from the side of Hwy 64 by Jim Oehler.

Both the state of Wisconsin and railroad companies encouraged immigration from Germany between 1852 and 1905 the time frame that Joseph and his family immigrated to Medford. In fact, the state of Wisconsin stationed an immigration commissioner in New York City. The commissioner would pass out pamphlets to newly arrived immigrants who touted the cheapness and fertility of Wisconsin land. They also passed out railroad tickets that would provide immigrants free passage to Wisconsin (Jensen 2006).

With the significant decline in the lumbering business, which resulted in a decline in lumber products being transported by rail, railroad companies had good incentive to get Wisconsin’s lands settled by farmers. They wanted surplus farm products to be transported on their railways to the growing populations both south and east. Railroad companies would go to the extent of sending company representatives to Germany to talk up the benefits of moving to Wisconsin, in some cases resulting in entire communities organizing to immigrate. The Wisconsin Central Railway established an immigrant house in Medford, providing free boarding for two weeks to give the newly arrived a chance to settle in (Jensen 2006). Perhaps Joseph and his family stayed in that house.

Joseph married Maria Weigel on May 17, 1904, at Holy Rosary Church in Medford, Wisconsin. When and where he met Maria is currently not known. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last that long. According to his gravestone, Joseph died on April 8, 1915 at the age of 44.  According to my mother, he died of pnemonia.  In the 11 short years that they were married, they had six children: Henry (1905-1989); Hugo (1906-1995); Clara (1907-1983); Anna (1910-1992); Joseph (1911-1999); and Mary (1913-2006).

Joseph Gruny headstone located at Holy Rosary Cemetery, Medford, WI.
GPS Coordinates: 45.14094, -90.32153

Curiously, I have record of two other children born prior to Joseph and Maria’s wedding and even prior to their immigration to America.

Adolph Gruny was born in 1892 and died in 1981 in Wausau, Wisconsin. He shows up in both the 1900 Federal Census (above) and the 1905 Wisconsin census as Joseph’s son. My mother conveyed a story about Adolph being given to Maria Weigel as she boarded the ship to America. Apparently Adolph’s biological family could not afford another mouth to feed and wanted him to have a better life in America. According to my mother’s story, Maria hid Adolph under her skirt and stowed him away on the ship. According to Jensen (2006), this was not an uncommon way of stowing children onboard to get them to America. Based on the census records though, it would have been more likely that Joseph’s mother Clara would have been the one to stow Adolph away. By the 1910 Federal census, Adolph was no longer living in Joseph’s home. We do know that Adolph lived a long life in Wisconsin, eventually settling in the town of Marathon where he farmed for many decades.

Henrich Gruny was born in 1891. When he died is unknown. He shows up in the 1905 Wisconsin Census as the 14 year old son of Joseph, but does not show up in the prior 1900 Federal census nor the 1910 census. Where Henrich came from or what became of him is currently unknown.  A colleague of mine suggested that Henrich may have been an indentured servant to Joseph and his family, something that was apparently quite common at that time.  Perhaps Joseph sponsored Henrich's immigration to America and in exchange worked and stayed in Joseph's home for a time. 

Gruny entry in the 1905 Wisconsin census showing the Joseph had two sons, Adolph and Henrich.

Gruny entry in the 1910 U.S. Federal Census clearly showing Adolph and Henrich are no longer living in the Joseph Gruny home, but showing the addition of two biological sons and daughters including my grandmother Clara.

After Joseph died, Maria lived at his farmstead with her mother-in-law Clara and Uncle Johann who continued to help with the farm until at least 1920, when that year's federal census show's only Maria and the kids (including the additions of Anna, Joseph, and Mary) living on the Gruny farmstead.

In my next blog entry we’ll explore the life of Maria Weigel Gruny, who must have had a difficult life raising six kids on a farm without a husband.

 

Outstanding Questions About Joseph’s Life

If you have any insight into these questions, please contact me:

Email: joehler at charter.net

1. Why did Joseph Gruny and his family choose to immigrate to Wisconsin?
2. Why didn’t Joseph’s father, Adolf, immigrate with them?
3. What city did Joseph and his family depart from Germany and where did they arrive in America?
4. When, where, and under what circumstances did Joseph and Maria Weigel meet?
5. Under what circumstances did Joseph attain custody of Henrich and Adolph before their marriage?
6. What happened to Henrich Gruny?
7. What happened to Clara (Joseph's mother), and Johann (Joseph's uncle) after his death?
   

Jensen, Joan M. 2006. Calling This Place Home: Women on the Wisconsin Frontier, 1850-1925. Minnesota Historical Society Press. 448 pp.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2069117.Calling_This_Place_Home